Challengers League
 |
|
| Country |
 Korea Republic
|
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Korean FA Cup |
| League cup(s) | Challengers Cup |
| Current champions |
FC Pocheon (2016) |
| Most championships |
FC Pocheon (5 titles) |
 2017 K3 League Advanced2017 K3 League Basic |
|
| K3 League | |
| Hangul | K3리그 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | K3 Rigeu |
| McCune–Reischauer | K3 Rigŭ |
The K3 League is a top amateur football competition in South Korea. Created in 2007, it is considered the fourth tier of South Korean football league system.
2007 was the inaugural season of the K3 League, and ten teams competed in the competition.
The season operated a two-stage system, with each side playing each other once in each stage for a combined total of eighteen matches (nine in each stage). The winners of both stages, Hwasung Shinwoo Electronics FC and Seoul United respectively, plus the two teams with the best overall record from both stages, Cheonan FC and Yongin FC, entered the championship playoffs. Seoul United emerged victorious in the championship playoffs, defeating Hwasung Shinwoo Electronics FC 3–0 on aggregate. The four playoff teams earned a spot in the 2008 FA Cup competition.
Seven new clubs registered ahead of the 2008 season with just one of the founder members, Daegu Korea Powertrain, withdrawing from the league set-up.
After the first stage of the 2008 season, Changwon United withdrew from the league due to financial problem. At the end of the 2008 season, Seoul Pabal FC was closed down because some their players were implicated in the K3 League match fixing scandal.
From the 2009 season, three new clubs registered to bring the total of competing clubs to 17.
On December 1, 2009, it was announced that Seoul Yangcheon FC, Yeonggwang FC and Chuncheon Citizen FC would join the league for the 2010 season. The top nine finishers would earn a spot in the next year's FA Cup competition. The KFA also announced that undergraduates would not be allowed to play from the 2012 season onward.
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